BUILDING MILWAUKEE'S FUTURE - ON THE WATER. ONLY ON 12 NEWS - KENT WAINSCOTT REVEALS THE NEW EFFORT TO GET THE WHITE HOUSE INVOLVED IN THE CITY'S GROWING WATER TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY. MILWAUKEE AS AMERICA'S WATER CAPITOL. THE IDEA HAS BEEN FLOATED FOR YEARS. WITH LAKE MICHIGAN AT IT'S DOORSTEP, WATER TECHNOLOGY CENTERS, SCHOOLS AND BUSINESSES CONTINUE TO SPRING UP, ESTABLISHING THE CITY AS A GLOBAL LEADER. NOW, MAYOR TOM BARRETT WANTS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO DIVE IN. 12 NEWS SPOKE WITH BARRETT JUST AS HE WRAPPED A CALL WITH THE WHITE HOUSE TO MAKE THAT PITCH. MAYOR TOM BARRETT - I WANTED TO MAKE THE CASE THAT WE'VE GOT AN INCREDIBLE INITIATIVE HERE, THAT'S DRIVEN BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR, BUT SUPPORTED BY ACADEMIA AND LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT. UW-MILWAUKEE PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN THE WATER TECHNOLOGY PUSH, WITH SEVERAL INITIATIVES. ASSOCIATE CHANCELLOR TOM LUJACK SAYS A FEDERAL ROLE IN THE EFFORT WOULD PROVIDE A MAJOR BOOST. TOM LUJACK/UWM VICE-CHANCELLOR - IT WOULD BE HUGE. IT WOULD BE HUGE, AND IT WOULD ALSO BE VERY APPROPRIATE. THE REASON WE THINK MILWAUKEE WOULD BE SUCH A GREAT PLACE FOR THIS SORT OF INVESTMENT IS BECAUSE OF THE HEADSTART WE HAVE ON THE REST OF THE WORLD. KENT - ON THE SURFACE, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF A WATER HUB HERE IS UNCLEAR. BUT TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, THE MAYOR COMPARED IT TO ANOTHER RESEARCH CENTER IN ANOTHER CITY. MAYOR TOM BARRETT - YOU THINK ABOUT A PLACE LIKE ATLANTA THAT HAS THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, I WOULD LOVE FOR MILWAUKEE TO BE THE PLACE WHERE WATER TECHNOLOGY IS KING. FOR NOW, BARRETT SAYS, IT'S JUST A PITCH, WITH NO PROMISES. BUT THE WHITE HOUSE, HE SAYS, IS LISTENING. IN MILWAUKEE I'M KENT WAINSCOTT WISN-12 NEWS. THERE ARE MORE THAN 100 MILWAUKEE- AREA BUSINESSES INVOLVED IN SOME AREA OF WATER